Map: Where tea partiers live, by state

Maybe it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Alaska, a state known for its independent streak, is a hotbed for tea partiers. It’s home to the most members per capita, according to data from a new report.

The states with the largest populations were, of course, home to the most in absolute terms, with the South leading the nation by region. The data was part of a larger report on the status of the movement produced by the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, a liberal group based in Kansas City, Mo. (Sources for the report’s data included political contributions and the Web sites of several tea party organizations.)

The movement lays claim to a small slice of the nation, with its more than 450,000 members accounting for a 0.14 percent share of the population. The South is far and away home to the most tea party members, with nearly 190,000. Nearly 110,000 live in the West, and nearly 93,000 live in the Midwest. Slightly more than 64,000 live in the Northeast.

In Alaska, tea partiers account for 3.57 of every 1,000 residents. Wyoming was home to the second highest share at 2.29 tea partiers, per capita, followed by Montana at 2.25. In absolute terms, Alaska was home to more than 2,600 tea partiers, Montana had nearly 2,300 and Wyoming was home to 1,333.

New York was home to the fewest tea partiers, per capita: just 0.95 of every 1,000 state residents. New Jersey and North Dakota were home to 0.95 per capita members. In absolute terms, 18,592 tea partiers call New York home, 8,666 live in New Jersey and 705 live in North Dakota.